Latest data reveals 11 percent of school-age kids in U.S. affected by ADHD

Latest numbers from the CDC reveal that 11 percent of U.S. school-age children have ADHD. Should we believe the numbers? (Getty)

The number of U.S. children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has increased dramatically in the last decade. Today, 11 percent of children, ages 4 to 17, are affected by ADHD, a 16 percent increase from 2007 and a 41 percent increase from 10 years ago, according to data compiled from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) by the The New York Times.

The rise is especially alarming among boys with 1 in 5 high school boys now receiving an ADHD medical diagnosis. What’s more, two-thirds of kids with ADHD take stimulant medication such as Ritalin and Adderall. Research has shown that these drugs can improve attention but they come with a host of side effects, ranging from anxiety to suppressed growth to, in rare cases, psychosis.

ADHD is a mental and neurobehavioral disorder that manifests in children, with half of those diagnosed continuing to have symptoms into their adult life. Children with ADHD struggle with focusing and controlling impulsive behaviors. They’re also often hyperactive.

The newest numbers are dramatic but just how accurate are they? Ever since The Times reported on the CDC’s latest numbers earlier this week, experts across the country have been weighing in and the consensus seems to be that the numbers are inflated, the data is faulty and doctors are overdiagnosing ADHD.

“Those are astronomical numbers. I’m floored,” Dr. William Graf, a pediatric neurologist in New Haven and a professor at the Yale School of Medicine, told The New York Times. “Mild symptoms are being diagnosed so readily, which goes well beyond the disorder and beyond the zone of ambiguity to pure enhancement of children who are otherwise healthy.”

An article on Time.com pointed out that the data was collected by the CDC through phone interviews with parents, a research technique that’s much less reliable than using school records. If school records were used, Time.com says the number of children affected by ADHD would be 7.5 to 9.5 percent, rather than 11 percent.

Possibly the biggest concern is that if the numbers are inflated and children are being overdiagnosed, kids who don’t have a serious case of ADHD could be taking unnecessary medication.

“We need to ensure balance,” Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the director for the CDC, told The New York Times. “The right medications for ADHD, given to the right people, can make a huge difference. Unfortunately, misuse appears to be growing at an alarming rate.”